[loser777]

Ugh, every time I see a device like this (and even the larger Reform) I'm so tempted. But I learned my lesson form-factor wise with the GPD Win Max: even as a travel laptop it's painfully small after about a day or two of use. And the sad reality is that the performance-freedom tradeoff is still immense. If we assume the best system module is faster than say a Raspberry Pi 4 (which seems optimistic), it'd still get absolutely walked by an 11-year old i5 (e.g., Tx20 generation Thinkpad which are coreboot-able these days).

Any kind of performance-critical stuff is clearly not the point, but it's hard to not think that smartphones have killed off this form-factor/performance tier for good reason. Makes a lot of sense as a Raspberry Pi with a screen and keyboard, but not really as a "laptop."

[brokenkebab2]

I suppose it's not intended to be a laptop, but rather a "communicator" device as they used to call it a decade, and something ago. Small physical keyboard is worse than a full-size, but better than small on-screen one. At least, as far as me experience go. I did a lot of emailing with Nokia N900 (3.5" screen size, phys kbd), I would not do it on any modern smartphone in spite if them being wider, and longer

[cstross]

The UK's Planet Computers already occupy that niche, albeit with a focus on Android (although Linux can be installed on their Gemini PDA and Cosmo Communicator models): I'm waiting on the (long-delayed by COVID19 factory shutdowns and supply chain dislocation) [Astro Slide 5G](https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/astro-slide-5g-transforme...), which looks like an interesting -- if obsolescent on delivery any month now -- smartphone/keyboard/PDA hybrid.

[philistine]

I would bet that the ortholinear layout and simple button spacebar they put in that device kills any productivity gains you would have with a physical keyboard.

[medstrom]

Because of unfamiliarity? A lot of keyboard nerds are now using this style, so to them it wouldn't be unfamiliar.

[II2II]

For a device of this size, I would measure productivity gains in terms of accuracy rather than speed. That is to say: I don't expect to type as fast as I would on a full size keyboard, but I would expect to be more productive than I would be with a touchscreen keyboard. Whether the ortholinear layout affects that, I don't know. Admittedly, the small spacebar buttons probably would.

[uniqueuid]

Absolutely.

I have a clockwork pi devterm, which is arguably on the more usable end of the spectrum.

In practice, the keyboard (and trackball) are much too small and cumbersome to use with joy. Another thing is that despite the very capable hardware (it has a rockchip along with plenty of RAM, I think 4 or 8GB), modern software just has so much latency.

Perhaps we've been spoiled by today's ssds, but even cli software just feels much slower than what we're used to.

[floren]

I'm puzzled by the devterm, because it seems like if they had just made it the same size as a TRS-80 Model 100, it would have been perfect! Those were certainly portable too! Maybe they couldn't find a big enough screen?

[RodgerTheGreat]

Proof that off-the-shelf panels of the correct dimensions exist:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cyberDeck/comments/uknqz2/for_anyon...

Count me among those who wish the devterm had been made full-size.

[selfhoster11]

Actually I think that old CLI software is a bit faster on SSDs than modern CLI software. I would have to do some benchmarks to confirm this, but it certainly seems to be the case when booting older Linux distros on modern hardware.

[pluc]

I think that's precisely why RaspberryPi made a great move with their 400. If you attempt to build a whole tiny computer, you are constraining your customers in the environment you build for them. If you build a computer into a laptop-size portable keyboard however, I'm free to use whatever screens and devices I want with it. I think it's likely a mistake that PocketReform is trying to go for the productivity market with such a thing

[nosianu]

It depends. I had a Psion 5 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Series_5) and spent a lot of hours typing texts and emails, and even doing "Excel" things, like creating a table for calculating "pilot things" (weight and balance, navigation). I even had a top-of-the-line 13 inch thin form factor laptop at the time but did not miss it enough, and often preferred to just take the Psion with me.

My current Dell 2-in-1 15 inch makes me miss the correct key when typing far more often than the Psion (who had the glorious idea to squeeze a numeric keyboard on there??? and I could not un-select it, since this device was a replacement for a failed earlier-generation 2-in-1 that Dell could not repair, which still had a normal keyboard). I almost never missed hitting the correct key typing on the Psion 5.

It worked for me because my use cases did not benefit from seeing more. Even the "Excel" tables were pretty small. If your use case benefits from seeing much more screen at a time, such as in programming, such a small form factor is no good. Even my 15 inch laptop often feels too small when using an IDEA IDE, for example.

[usrusr]

I keep forgetting about the Psion (the 5 I think). It almost seems as if it got excluded from computing history because it just worked, did well in the little it tried to do instead striving for something more ambitious and then spectacularly failing.

Dad of a friend had one I think, not because he was an eager early adopter of futuristic gadgetry but because he wasn't the kind of person who'd inevitably try to maximise spec sheet numbers per dollar, happy to spend money for nominally "inferior" tech if it just worked. I guess that might have generally been Psion's market segment, and that's all explanation needed for the relatively low visibility in computing history?

[philistine]

My dad used a Psion in the 90s to enter data during his milk route. He would get to a farm, and input the temperature and litres of the milk in the device. At the end of the day, he'd give it to his boss who would sync it to get the info. I thought it was so cool that my dad had a portable computer way back when.

[pydry]

I spent ages trying to find a smartphone equivalent of a psion 5mx to no avail. It was perfect for writing.

The fact that theres still high demand for them decades later is telling.

[criddell]

Did you ever use a Psion Series 7? If so how did the typing experience compare?

I'd love for a new Psion-type device to come out. Something that can run for a month on a pair of AA batteries.

[cstross]

The Psion Series 7 was a netbook-sized machine with a VGA screen. Came along just too soon to have wifi and bluetooth built-in, just too late to be competitive with the ever-shrinking notebooks like the Toshiba Libretto range.

The nearest thing to psion devices today are made by [Planet Coputers](https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/); their keyboards are designed by Martin Riddiford (the designer of the Psion Series 3 and 5 machines), and with fast charging over USB-C they're as close to what you're asking for as you'll find today.

[criddell]

I think the hardware is great, but I definitely don't want Android or Linux and that screen looks power hungry. A similar form factor running a lighter OS (like EPOC) with an eink or other low power display would be pretty cool but also would likely only have a market of one.

[RajT88]

I have the Gemini PDA.

The screen was a thing of beauty, and the battery life was great. Last I used it, I got through a redeye from SFO to ORD without it dying.

[criddell]

I guess we have different ideas of good battery life. I'd like to see days if not weeks of battery life using AA's or AAA's.

I mostly want an updated Psion 5.

[boygobbo]

The Psion 7 (& Netbook) have IMHO the absolute best keyboards for their form factor. I still use my Netbook for distraction-free writing. It doesn't run on AA batteries but will easily last a couple of days on one charge. At just over 1kg it's effortless to carry about & the shape makes it easy to clutch in one hand. For me it's the ideal note-taking machine.

[bogwog]

I think this device would make more sense if it focused on a specific use case rather than trying to be a general purpose computer/PDA.

* Handheld retro gaming device, since the only other Linux one I'm aware of is the always out of stock Steam Deck.

* A handheld screen+keyboard for connecting to servers in a data center.

* Educational tool for teaching kids about technology

* Add a modem and mic and sell it as a Linux smartphone for the nerdiest of nerds

[usrn]

What about a handheld Linux device for running vim and hacking? That seems to be the niche it's going for even if they're not saying it. I use my Pinephone for this when I'm on the train and that (which is likely slower than this) is plenty powerful for the task.

[vanderZwan]

> Handheld retro gaming device, since the only other Linux one I'm aware of is the always out of stock Steam Deck.

There is also the "goodness how much delay-causing problems can a single project have?" Dragonbox Pyra. Although the most recent video gives some hope it's finally about to ship (and they're going to make use of the ability to have modular upgrades so the product is hopefully not completely dead on arrival). They have my respect for hanging in there so far despite everything though.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX8U7P10_Wo

[bogwog]

Holy shit that still exists?! I remember seeing the Pandora back in like high school or middle school and even then people were saying it would never ship. Since they’re working on a successor, I guess they did eventually start shipping at least some units…right?

[Aissen]

Disagreed on the performance of the GPD Win Max: at least on my (2020) model, it's much more powerful than an older laptop. But I have to agree on the other things: the tradeoffs are a bit hard to swallow. I have been able to make it my main laptop, but had to do some keyboard adaptations (in software).

[nfriedly]

Yeah, I have a Win Max and I love it. It's the only laptop that I own, but I also have a desktop PC and employer-provided MacBook. When I travel, I bring both laptops.

I've done a little bit of programming work on the Win Max for some of my open source libraries, and it will do it in a pinch, but I mostly use it for games.

I'm really looking forward to the Win Max 2, in large part because of the slightly expanded keyboard.